Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Menya Musashi & Gantetsu @ Isetan 1 Utama

Fans of Japanese food are sure to flock for the next few weeks to Eat Paradise at Isetan 1U, which features a fresh bevy of businesses exclusive to this hall of temptations.

First up, Eat Paradise's pioneer tenant _ Menya Musashi _ has sprung a stunning surprise; unlike the temporary kiosk that this Tokyo-based ramen purveyor opened recently in KLCC, the full-blown outlet here at 1 Utama is a pork powerhouse, enabling Malaysian customers to finally sample Menya Musashi's recipes as they might be meant to taste.

Menya Musashi's signature ramen comes with unprecedentedly enormous slices of cha-shu in an unexpectedly earthy broth blended with fried shallots and garlic. At this point, it's impossible to say which ramen outlet in the Klang Valley is the best. Some will prefer Santouka, others Marutama or Yamagoya, but many will love Menya Musashi too.

Ajitama Chashu Tsukemen, costing north of RM30, comprising thick, pleasurably chewy egg noodles to be dipped in hot soup. Customers can select serving sizes for noodles _ this was supposed to be a small (!!!).

Beside Menya Musashi, its main rival: Gantetsu, a champion Hokkaido ramen juggernaut from Sapporo. Both Menya Musashi and Gantetsu also have branches in Singapore.

Gantetsu's bestseller: tonkotsu miso ramen with king cha-shu (about RM30). The flavor of this "Great White Soup" isn't as deep as Menya Musashi's, but it makes up for it with luscious, fatty cha-shu that's damn near perfect. The eggs are more decadent than Menya Musashi's too.

So far, Menya Musashi and Gantetsu are open at Eat Paradise, while everything else may launch later in May. Other highlights that'll make their debut here include Puran B, the Japanese offshoot of The BIG Group's Plan B, which provides pork-free Western fare with twists from the Land of the Rising Sun. Stuff like creamy soft-shell crab spaghetti.

Gyoza, as good as this snack gets (though that might be faint praise).

Rice, not very fragrant, but it makes up for it with a light, minimal-oil touch.

Calpis shochu soda and lemon shochu soda.

Wrapping up this entry with more of Menya Musashi's fierce look.

Menya Musashi and Gantetsu Ramen,

Eat Paradise,

Second Floor, Isetan 1 Utama, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Check out EAT DRINK, a new F&B website jointly run by The Expat Group (TEG) & Eat Drink KL. This website features all of our up-to-date reviews, plus exclusive weekly articles & a searchable database on restaurants in KL & Selangor: EatDrink.my

Pureglutton: oops, looks like we missed each other by just a couple of days! was there for a weekend dinner on sunday evening. ya, noticed the chef, but my friend and i were too bashful to speak to him. i think he shot an intense stare at my table while i was photographing the ramen! :D

Smitten By Food: yeah, right now, it can be annoying to eat here, because there's a lot of noisy drilling and hammering going on in the nearby outlets that haven't opened. i think Puran B will open here within a week, so that's the next one to watch out for! :D

Drops Of Contentment: heh, yeah, i think the ramen trend is still building up, and it hasn't hit saturation point yet! we'll probably see a dozen more ramen outlets open in the klang valley before 2012 is over! :D and yes, Puran B is by The BIG Group. it'll serve western fare, like spaghetti, with japanese-ish influences, like crispy soft-shell crab. might be pretty similar to some of the stuff that Plan B currently serves :D

Ulric: heh, i'm not a fan of 1U's layout. it's just too huge and winding for me. i get lost trying to find various outlets =) ohh, the nicest mentaiko pasta i've had in KL is at ozeki tokyo on jalan p ramlee =)

Joe: that looks like a Top Five i could agree with! i might rank them the same way (though maybe i'd rank Gantetsu one notch higher) =) hopefully we'll get a few more ramen outlets this year that'll be able to fill out a top ten :D

Jeffrey: heh, i think you'll enjoy the ramen at both these places. i haven't tried enough varieties of tsukemen to really tell, but the one here was decent, though i prefer the regular ramen-served-in-soup :D

Baby Sumo: yeah, the noodles here are significantly thicker and chewier! quite a nice change from the regular ones. and they stay firm longer =) ya, and i bet after currency conversion, menya musashi's ramen in kl is cheaper than singapore's =)

Ciki: ooo, hopefully you enjoy MM! they've flown in the chef and the noodles from japan, so there's a fair chance that the ramen here tastes at least 80 percent as good as what the good citizens of japan get to enjoy! :D

I notice that even many of the chains that originate in Japan, when it arrives at our shores, or our neighbouring republic's shores, seem to lose their spark. not sure what it is. the water? flour? air? haha

I completely agree with you! I tried Menya Musashi in Shinjuku and it was absolutely divine! The noodles have the perfect chewy texture, accompanied by a shoyu broth that has a tinge of sweetness and hint of yuzu. The MM in Malaysia is good, but the original in Japan is a class above. Must be the water here.....

I have been there 2 days ago. I felt that Menya musashi have degraded and things are different now. Could you perhaps recommend me a few best ramens around ? Thank you :) Wanna go there with my girlfriend.